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The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat
|followed by= }} The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat is a 2018 release by writer and illustrator D. Isaac Thomas and the twelfth book in The Super Babies series. It is the first book in the second sequel trilogy and the fifteenth installment in the franchise overall (owing to the Before The SMSB series). The book sees the return of Master Intelligence, Lindsay Kellerman, Sebiscuits Cardarphen, Force Baby, Sheriff Bladepoint, Paige, Baby Strength, and Red X. New characters include Thomas Meyer, the Gladiator, Andromeda, Sagen Rolt, and Ramona Meyer. The book picks up ten years after left off. The Knights of Plague have risen from the ashes of the Order of the NoHeads and is opposed by superhero Master Intelligence and the S.M.S.B., both of which seek to find the Orb of Power. They hope to put an end to the Knights, being opposed by villains such as the Gladiator, a dark warrior with a mysterious past; and Becca Smith, the commander of Transylvania Quarters. The book's story will continue in and in January of 2019 and in 2020, respectively. The Latest Threat was released on 6 January, 2018 in the United States of America, Mexico, and European countries. Plot Opening scene The story opens with Alyssa Smith reading the newspaper before heading to the MBH with her father for testing. Concurrently, Becca Smith arrives at Transylvania Quarters, where the Gladiator is holding a meeting with the Knights of Plague. Becca informs the Gladiator that the Orb of Power is hidden in the Hall of Domination, the only room in Transylvania Quarters even the Gladiator was cut off from. While discussing their plans, the Gladiator declares to the Knights of Plague that he requires another's sword to kill Master Intelligence. The Gladiator chooses Monroe in punishment for his recent failures. The Gladiator toys with Alicia, the former leader of the famous Muggle revolution, whom he has bound and levitated before killing her. Becoming Andromeda After Patrick Smith drove Alyssa to the MBH, Alyssa asks Master Intelligence if she can apply. Master Intelligence begins testing her memory and knowledge, beginning by asking her several questions, such as why she wants to join. He then gives her an IQ test and a social quiz of his own design. When she passes these, he begins to test Alyssa’s abilities through several vigorous exercises, including an obstacle course. When Andromeda manages to complete these, her maturity is tested on a computer. Afterwards, she passes and is introduced to the other S.M.S.B. members. She also takes the nickname of Andromeda. Andromeda does her best to train with the other members, but is quickly failing. The Last Will and Testament of Carol Wilcox Dorber Eventually, Master Intelligence resolves to teach her alone. Later in the day, Master Intelligence's former Crodela Team Captain Ammon Dorber arrives at the MBH to give the S.M.S.B. the personal effects of his wife Carol, who we then learn has died recently. These items were bequeathed in her will: To Telekinibabe, *To Baby Strength, *To Force Baby, *To Lindsay, her stock of books. *To Master Intelligence, a Giggel-themed backpack. Ammon departs the mansion afterwards, warning Master Intelligence that the Gladiator knows where the MBH is. Master Intelligence finds this to be concerning. An ambush Several days later, the Gladiator's snake, Nagatha, reports what she has overheard and reveals that Andromeda and Alyssa Smith are one and the same. He tells the snake to go in the MBH and "kill whatever she finds there". Upstairs, while Master Intelligence is telling Sebiscuits that he has a special rank to bestow upon him, their private conversation is interrupted when Nagatha finds them. As a fight breaks out, Andromeda rushes to their aid and drives off the serpent. Her spirits raised, Andromeda begins to improve on the training exercises. The attack on Percy Soon afterward, Andromeda has a vision of an attack on Percy in the Hall of Domination enacted by cyborg Augustus Salt. Percy is saved as a result. The Gladiator's new strategy During class, Lindsay receives a vision suggesting that the Gladiator was building a bomb that he would soon use to destroy New York in the Hall of Domination at Transylvania Quarters. The Gladiator predicted that the S.M.S.B. would race to the fortress to stop him. As the Gladiator predicted, Lindsay told Master Intelligence about it, who rallied the other members of the S.M.S.B.. For the mission, Master Intelligence reveals the old Pinewood Derby now enlarged. The group rides it to Transylvania Quarters to stop him. Meanwhile, Becca Smith and George return to Transylvania Quarters to converse with the Gladiator. George proposed using the base’s superweapon to destroy the old police station, which would give the police nowhere to go once their station’s shields were breached. The Gladiator authorized his proposal. He then spoke with Becca privately, asking if she had felt an awakening in the light side. He ordered Becca to kill her daughter to overcome her temptation by the light. The Battle of Transylvania Quarters The S.M.S.B. flies to Transylvania Quarters, where they enter the Hall of Domination. In the row where the Gladiator is supposed to be waiting, they spot the Orb of Power with Master Intelligence’s name inscribed on it. Against Intelligence’s advice not to touch it, Telekinibabe picks it up. This prompts twelve Knights of Plague, including second-in-command Becca Smith, and the Gladiator himself as leader, to emerge from the shadows and demand that Master Intelligence give them the orb, upon seeing Telekinibabe hand it to him. Master Intelligence attempts to buy time by mocking the Gladiator and infuriating Becca, yet the Gladiator stops her from killing Intelligence so that he can protect the orb. Master Intelligence still refuses to hand over the orb, so the Gladiator begins to tease him that the orb can tell him anything. That the orb can grant him physical strength beyond his dreams, but only if given to him from another. In response, the S.M.S.B. members engage the Knights of Plague, but they are seriously outmatched. The group is nearly defeated, but the tables turn when Red X sacrifices herself to destroy the Grand Bomb. Baby Strength frees the others. Master Intelligence, Lindsay Kellerman, Sebiscuits, Telekinibabe, Andromeda, and Force Baby reclaim their weapons, and the battle resumes. Once again, Andromeda and Sebiscuits try to escape, but are stopped by Becca Smith and George. The four immediately begin to duel with swords, just as Baby Strength engages Eve. At the same time, the Gladiator slips and falls, and the orb falls from his hand and breaks. Most of the members attempt to escape, though a few stay to fight. However, Master Intelligence insists they can’t leave without Andromeda and Sebiscuits. The Gladiator moves in to attack the members, but Master Intelligence leaps upward, knocking him away and attacking the villain, reclaiming his sword for the task. The two engage in a powerful duel, during which time the Orb of Power is destroyed. After hurling George into an abyss, Andromeda confronts Becca Smith on a bridge over a large pit, pleading with her mother to reject the Gladiator and return to the light. Becca holds out her sword to Andromeda, but then she twists the angle of her weapon and uses it to impale her daughter before hurling her down a shaft. Furious, Force Baby injures Becca with his gun and proceeds to shoot down several unsuspecting Knights, ending with the more challenging Augustus Salt. However, a stray blast from the embattled Becca and Sebiscuits defeats him for good. Meanwhile, Sebiscuits telekinetically disarms Becca, prompting her to run. With help from Lindsay, Master Intelligence captures the Gladiator with cords, just as the three surviving Knights of Plague attack. Lindsay duels Eve while Baby Strength takes on Monroe. At this moment, Master Intelligence returned and most of the fighting stopped and the Knights of Plague that saw him arrive attempted to flee in fear of dueling him, having seen the demise of their master. Intelligence quickly rounded up numerous Knights of Plague, announcing their capture, but Becca and Sebiscuits are still fighting. Finally, Sebiscuits disarms Becca and hits her with a death beam, killing her. With the fighting over, Master Intelligence calls for the uninjured to step up, receiving only Telekinibabe. They briefly ponder how to dispose of the bodies, until Telekinibabe suggests using the Dish of Smoke to transport both the dead and living. The latter telekinetically moves everyone into the Dish. Shrinking on impact, they all materialize into the Tavern of Tombs. Here, they locate the dead in graves and the injured lying together in a corner of the tavern. Master Intelligence quietly summons ART-100, before realizing that Andromeda's dead. He is overcome with grief, but then ART-100 arrives. On his request, ART-100 materializes everyone into the Pinewood Derby. At the MBH, Telekinibabe helps everyone into the medical bay while ART-100 sent a message to the U.S. Government, initiating an imminent trial for the captured Gladiator at the Mutamon. Master Intelligence proceeds to tend to the injured and tells them Telekinibabe and ART-100 will care for them while he goes abroad in order to recuperate from the recent trauma he has endured. Recruiting Centauri After the battle, the Gladiator is captured and detained in the top cell of a prison he himself had built to hold his enemies. Everybody regrets Red X’s death bitterly, but as a result of it everybody else survived. Master Intelligence heads to Myra Gordon’s house, one place he knows he can find comfort in. He arrives feeling miserable and wasted away over the deaths of Red X and Andromeda. There, Myra introduces him to Thomas Meyer, who has come to stay for a few weeks after his expulsion from Lazar Institute, a boarding school. The two men immediately become friends. They also share a lot in common: they are intellectuals and class-toppingly talented young mutants who were idealistic and ambitious. (Master Intelligence, who felt trapped by the deaths of his friends and familial obligation, gains a glamorous connection to the excitement of faraway places and things in Thomas. Thomas, an ego case, gains a powerful ally, complete with stimulating conversation, who doesn’t threaten his sense of control.) Skirmish in the MBH After Master Intelligence and Centauri return to the MBH, Intelligence shows Centauri to his laboratory. In the meantime, Ramona Meyer Apparates to the front of the MBH, where Sebiscuits confronts her. Unfortunately, Centauri accidentally releases three zerads. The zerads begin causing mayhem, but Centauri is caught by one and dragged around the halls. Suddenly, Ramona Apparates into the hall and is able to shut a door on the zerad, freeing Centauri. She then makes quick work of the other two. Master Intelligence introduces himself to her, who reveals that she came to wish Centauri luck. Master Intelligence then invites her to dinner, and she agrees. During the meal, Ramona attempts to defend that several Knights of Plague survived, and insists they will not be a threat. She also suggests that they move Charity Hirz's hologram pit to the t and i Factory. The death of scribes Six years later, Lindsay Kellerman and Centauri learn that Master Intelligence has received a Christmas cake from his British friend Rhonda Owens, disappointing them as they were planning on giving him some as they had done on his birthday that same year. The two opt to give it to Optica instead, but then Centauri receives a phone call and disappears for a few minutes. When he returns, he bitterly reveals that his parents have been killed in a car crash before storming off to his room. Lindsay follows him but he swears at her until she leaves him in peace. When Centauri learned that they had yet to be buried, he immediately went to Nicole's thrift store to purchase a shovel. After learning of this from Veronica, Nicole showed him where to find them. When he found the shovel, Veronica rung him up and he finished his trip there. He immediately buried them, just as Sebiscuits arrived, having canceled his skating trip with his parents (in a dishonest way) in order to do so. Force Baby's training Later, Master Intelligence has Force Baby trained with Sagen Rolt. The t and i factory The S.M.S.B. heads to the t and i Factory, and starts their intense trip into the seven Defense Chambers. They find the door ajar, and a harp on the floor. Upon entering, they land in Charity Hirz's room, full of Dark vines, which almost smothers them before Sebiscuits uses lightning to blast it off. Master Intelligence and Centauri continue to the next room, Ramona's, where they find an unconscious noioroc laying on the floor. Lastly, they enter Cherical McSnake's room, and find seven energy crystals along with a roll of paper giving clues on which one to drink to continue, noting that three crystals will kill the user, two will knock the user unconscious, one will send the user back, and the other will let the user move forward into the next room. Master Intelligence tells Centauri that it is a test of logic and not mutantry wherein most mutants fail. He solves the puzzle, and at Master Intelligence's instruction, touches the one that will allow him to head back through the purple flame, while Centauri touches the one to head into the black flame and into the final room, where he is surprised at who he sees. It is Ramona Meyer who Centauri sees in the room. Centauri, astonished, hears Ramona tell him that, next to Salagara, no one would expect him to try to steal the pit. Centauri questions his cousin, who says she is mounting a return to power. Ramona decides to use Centauri to this end. Centauri is told to look into Ramona's eyes. She senses that he misses his parents. With this information, Ramona demands Centauri give her the code to activate the pit. Centauri refuses and runs, but the Dark Woman seizes him. However, she finds herself unwilling to hurt him, but Centauri still kills her by using the Slash Effect on her arms, ripping them out of their sockets. As she screams, he blasts her with electricity lingering in the chamber. At last, he frees Master Intelligence, who is furious that he would relish killing his own cousin in such a brutal fashion. Centauri argues that she deserved it, creating a rift between the two. The Styricat For his fortieth birthday, Centauri receives a river stone from Master Intelligence, something that came from the River of Light located behind NYC Hospital. Lindsay and Centauri are captured by the priests of the Styricat and the High Priest Vertenubelter. Because they are angry with them for helping to kill their gods, which are then revealed to be the NoHead Recruits themselves, they have already summoned the soul of Bartholomew Gales and intend to sacrifice them to bring Bartholomew back. Lindsay and Centauri struggle and injure themselves while being held captive until Savannah van Dukas and Strattogale save them. Kellerman realized this could only mean one thing: the stone was mutated. The Styricat nearly erased him, but Master Intelligence flashed the stone and used the teleportation device to escort them both to safety. Kellerman briefly duels Vertenubelter. It had helped Centauri save his memories when he was almost erased by the Styricat, a criminal organization in Africa. The Sword of Abomination In 2069, Centauri delved into his research, and finally learned that the Sword of Abomination was located at the workshop of George Thames. He told this to Master Intelligence, who insists that they can't just break in and steal the sword from him. This angers Centauri, who has been working his way to this point for years. Master Intelligence forcibly curtails the argument after becoming uncharacteristically angry. Duel in the MBH In the climax, Centauri begins to question the truth about the S.M.S.B., and confronts Master Intelligence in the meditation chamber. As they speak, Master Intelligence says they need to go to the Fun Room to check on Force Baby, who was becoming increasingly unstable, and Baby Strength. Centauri asks what was so special about them, to which Master Intelligence tells him to shut his mouth. On the way, Centauri says he didn’t care about them or Intelligence at all, believing they are in his way and not worth altering his plans for their sake. When they head inside, Intelligence declares he no longer desires the Sword, and as this leads to an argument, Baby Strength guides Force Baby away and then interferes. Centauri claims that he knows nothing of love and reminds Master Intelligence that he plans to share the Sword of Abomination and his control over the world with him once both have been acquired. Master Intelligence understands Centauri is truly a sociopath, refusing to help him. After Baby Strength suggests killing him on the spot, the three finally begin a vicious duel while Force Baby watches in horror. Set off by what he sees, Force Baby finally tries to intervene in the fight, but can't due to his erratic abilities, and in the ensuing chaos, Master Intelligence and Centauri lock lightning torrents. Force Baby uses the Force to break the connection, but the death beams rebound into him and he dies. The blast has knocked Master Intelligence and Centauri unconscious; Intelligence awakes to see Baby Strength running to Force Baby’s corpse and crying. Thomas watches them for a moment and Master Intelligence furiously accuses him of murdering Force Baby. Thomas denies this, bids his former master goodbye, and takes flight through the shattered window. Master Intelligence and Baby Strength both feel terrible for their friend’s death, which Baby Strength charges to his master. They decide to give him a funeral. Ending Meanwhile, Thomas flees New York City. Staying in the shadows, he makes his way down the street through yards, hopping fences and squeezing through hedges. At the end of his block, he steps out onto the sidewalk, but keeps away from the streetlights. He remembers Thames Metalle, teleports to Wyoming, and breaks inside, where he successfully retrieves the Sword of Abomination. The scene transitions to Egrevond, where Thomas meets with a mysterious, eminent, and shackled figure through an invisible veil who has her back turned. Meyer confesses that he knows of her, and that his actions have woken her unintentionally. He demonstrates the Sword's power, shares his concern over Master Intelligence's so-called greatness, and refuses to free her, saying that to do so, or to render what has transpired wide knowledge, will "bring about all that I mean to prevent". As this, the figure turns around and snarls angrily. D. Isaac Thomas later reveals this is Nebelon. Development It was first announced on 13 March, 2016 that D. Isaac Thomas was planning to make a sequel trilogy for The Super Babies. In April, Thomas opened the DIT Code Corner on D.I.T. Website, a place that revealed exquisite plot details to individuals who could crack complex codes. The book is scheduled for release on 6 January, 2017. Ironically, this is the day of Mr. Stupid NoHead's death. On 14 July, 2016, D. Isaac Thomas said he had “just come back from work on the book ... I’m a bit bushed, having just drawn out several different versions of a scene where George addresses the troops of the Knights of Plague. I hoped to try it at various levels of intensity. Ultimately, I wanted it big. I believe it was George’s major moment in the book.” While developing George’s character, D. Isaac Thomas posited that he was an obsessive character who does not get a lot of sleep. He created his look with that in mind: pale with dark eyes, and dead-set on his goals. He has called George a merciless character, one who enjoys having authority and holding onto it at all costs. D. Isaac Thomas was delighted that George’s development allowed him to explore the notion of authority. On 6 January, 2018, The Latest Threat was released in the United States of America, Mexico, and European countries. Rating The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat was rated PG-13 "for war violence and a suggestive situation". New characters Notes and references Category:Books (real-world) Category:Canon